Thinking of diving Raja Ampat or Komodo.... need advice please!

[FairyBasset]

Dear all,

am thinking of going to Indonesia for 3 weeks in Dec-Jan this year.
I like the variety of dive sites on a LOB, however, I also like to enjoy the beach and going out.
Therefore I am thinking about spending a week or so on a liveaboard, probably in RA or Komodo, and then going to Bali and doing some day trip diving from there.

I have a few questions and would be grateful for your input....

* Is this a good time/season to go?
* Is there a LOB that does Komodo and RA or is the distance just too huge? (that is probably a silly question... I know the distance is huge, but just checking!)
* Which LOBs / routes can you recommend?
* How different is the diving in Komodo and RA?

Thanks in advance for all your help / advice.

 

[Quero]

December is a great season for R4, so that would be my recommendation rather than Komodo, though there are Komodo liveaboard trips year round.

No, you can't really do R4 and Komodo trips back to back. The areas are just too far apart. The boats that I work with that schedule both destinations always put some intermediate destination in for a trip or two while transferring from one base to the next--for example they might do R4 for a season, then Alor for a couple of trips, then Komodo for a season, then Alor....

In terms of marine life, Komodo gets pelagics and R4 is not about big fish. Komodo has currents, R4 is easier in general.

I won't offer names of boats in the public forum, but I will offer my views via PM, if you like.

 

[FairyBasset]

Hi Quero,

that would be great. thanks for your help!

 

[sonar]

what's your budget?

 

[FairyBasset]

am interested in all categories, budget wont be the deciding factor...
more likely to be available dates that decide and whether i can book a single (ie traveling alone).

 

[Shasta_man]

Having been to both, I didn't find a lot more pelagics in Komodo, except mantas which were in both. That likely depends on where you go and some luck. I liked RA a bit better because while I saw large schools in Komodo, they were even larger in RA. I feel like there were more "diving around a little rock sticking out of the ocean amongst islands" spots in RA.

Komodo is probably easier to get to, since you could just go to Bali and do the one way trip. However, if you do the one way trip, it would make sense to do the trip where you spend more time in Komodo itself, though there is good diving along the way. There are a couple ways to get to RA, but you end up in Sorong. I went through Jakarta.

R4: Never saw that combo of Raja Ampat and The Four Kings. Cool.

 

[Quero]

R4: Never saw that combo of Raja Ampat and The Four Kings. Cool.

Yeah. Isn't language grand? (Says the linguist in me.)
For anybody who is still a little puzzled:
Raja = King
Ampat = Four
Raja Ampat = R4 = Four Kings

 

[FairyBasset]

Thanks for your help! Am now busy researching!

 

[whalerock]

I think raja is better in December. Most of the lob leaving Komodo in November and go to R4. If you wish I could recommend some lob by pm.

 

[NakedDiver]

hi, just came back from komodo after doing safari trip. Needless to say it was great diving with mantas plus mantas. Amazing location including those castle rock and crystal rock and batu bolong sites...I was with other divers and they give good feedback also R4. I'm planing to go back indonesia sometime November to December. Can you share LOB for R4. Is it possible dive it only on resort based?

Kindly PM for details. thanks